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- Volume 2, Issue 32 Atari Online News, Etc. August 11, 2000
-
-
- Published and Copyright (c) 2000
- All Rights Reserved
-
- Atari Online News, Etc.
- A-ONE Online Magazine
- Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
- Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
-
-
- Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
-
- Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
- Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
- Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
- Albert Dayes -- CC: Classic Chips
-
- With Contributions by:
-
- Carl Forhan
-
-
-
- To subscribe to A-ONE, send a message to: dpj@delphi.com
- and your address will be added to the distribution list.
- To unsubscribe from A-ONE, send the following: Unsubscribe A-ONE
- Please make sure that you include the same address that you used to
- subscribe from.
-
- To download A-ONE, set your browser bookmarks to one of the
- following sites:
-
- http://people.delphi.com/dpj/a-one.htm
- http://www.icwhen.com/aone/
- http://a1mag.atari.org
- Coming Soon:
- http://a1mag.b-squared.net
-
-
- Visit the Atari Advantage Forum on Delphi!
- http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=atari
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
- A-ONE #0232 08/11/00
-
- ~ Juno Goes For #2 ISP! ~ People Are Talking! ~ E-Book Software!
- ~ Netscape Bug Hits 1000 ~ Beta Test SegaNet! ~ Songbird Moves!
- ~ KISS: Psycho Circus! ~ Summer Doldrums ~ Seaman - Voice!
- ~ Web Porn Law Banned! ~ EA To Do Potter Games! ~ ECW Anarchy Rulz!
-
- -* Women Surpass Men Online! *-
- -* Next Generation Nintendo In August! *-
- -* AOL Takes Down Its MP3 Music Search Engine *-
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Naturally the weather has been better this past week compared to the past
- two while I was on vacation! The humidity came roaring back with a
- vengeance; and the sun did appear from time to time. It would have been
- fine had this been one of my vacation weeks! Maybe in a couple of weeks,
- the weather will be good for my last summer vacation. I'm not taking bets!
-
- The atmosphere in the department where I work is really dreary. As word
- continues to spread of our department manager's notice to leave, spirits
- continue to decline. Yes, it's quite common for people to leave a job for
- various reasons. However, people don't usually leave a good position after
- more than 10 years unless it's due to changes in life (moving, etc.) or an
- incredible new offer elsewhere. However, over the past few years there has
- been the continued atmosphere at most businesses and organizations to
- increase revenues while reducing costs (do more work with less staff). The
- stress factor is high - people are leaving good positions because of it. It
- happens, and I understand it. Doesn't mean I have to like it. I've been
- with this healthcare facility for over 20 years. I've seen management come
- and go. My particular boss happens to be one who has probably had the most
- positive impact on our department than anyone before him. It will be
- difficult once he's gone. I'm sure many of you have experienced similar
- situations at one point. Oh well, I guess life goes on.
-
- Enough of my ramblings for one week. I didn't really have much to say this
- week. It's been fairly quiet on the computing front this week. But, with
- the summer winding down and the new school year rapidly approaching, the
- news should rebound nicely in a few weeks!
-
- Until next time...
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- PEOPLE ARE TALKING
- compiled by Joe Mirando
- jmirando@portone.com
-
-
-
- Hidi ho friends and neighbors. In my never-ending quest to get the most
- I can out of my faithful TT, I just ordered (and received) a 3.5 gig
- hard drive for it.
-
- This sucker is a monster, folks. Most people have probably never seen a
- hard drive this size. It's a 5.25 inch, full height drive. That's right,
- FULL HEIGHT. And 3.5 gig is the unformatted capacity.... it always
- amazed me that they listed what the unformatted capacity is. Who cares
- what the UNFORMATTED capacity is? The formatted capacity is a measly
- 2.9 gigabytes. I think I can live with that for a while. <grin>
-
- My intentions for this drive are to get Linux up and running once and
- for all. The drive I had intended to use for Linux unceremoniously died
- as I was partitioning it. Needless to say I was fit to be tied about
- that. I had been promising myself and others that I would finally get
- Linux set up good and proper and write an installation text for it.
- Losing that hard drive put me behind for three days. Since I was on
- vacation this week, it put a real dent in my timetable. But I guess
- that, since I had planned on just hanging around the house for this
- vacation, it wasn't really too much of a dent.
-
- Anyway, I hope to have more information and thoughts about Linux (a
- UNIX-like operating system) on the TT for you before too much longer. I
- know, I know, you've heard that from me before. But I think that, this
- time, it's gonna happen.
-
- I've been using Linux on my PC laptop for almost a year now, and I like
- it... well, to be fair, I like it a lot more than Windows. It still
- ain't TOS, but what are ya gonna do?
-
- The thing that excites me about using Linux on the TT is that it opens
- up a whole new resource for programs and applications. If a program is
- designed for m68k Linux, it'll work on any machine that runs m68k Linux.
- I don't usually like to think of the 680x0 Macs or even the Amiga as
- being in the same class as the Atari, but this is truly a case of being
- stronger together than apart. Programmers are certainly more willing to
- write for a userbase of all three platforms than for any one of them
- alone.
-
- I hope that I can interest some of you not only in Linux for the Atari,
- but Linux in general. It's not as easy to use as TOS (what is?), but it
- is incredibly stable and flexible.
-
- Drop me a line at joe@atari-users.net and let me know what you think
- about any of this. Lord knows that I don't want to keep prattling on
- about this if no one wants to hear it.
-
- In the meantime, let's get to the news, hints, tips, and info available
- on the UseNet.
-
-
-
- From the comp.sys.atari.st NewsGroup
- ====================================
-
-
- Richard Kilpatrick asks about his "new" STE:
-
- "I've just acquired an STE system (have yet to see which precise mods
- have been fitted, but it's 4Mb, HD Floppy, fast serial, TOS 2.06) and I
- want to use it for MIDI (there's a surprise, eh?). I can find patch
- editors and librarians for the Roland D10 LA synth, and 110 rackmount,
- but not for the D-50. Has anyone got experience of using a D-50 with the
- ST? I'll buy software to use it, anything to avoid having to hook my PC
- up to it!
-
- I'm also looking for a Roland GS sound editor, for a JV-50 synth. This
- is more generic I think.
-
- Finally, I have a spare CM8833Mk II monitor, and no display for my STe!
- Where can I get a cable for this?
-
- Richard (also, will be very happy to be told about demos for the STe! I
- have loads for my XLs...)"
-
- Tim Conrardy tells Richard:
-
- "You can go to my site (http://atari.atlantis-bbs.com ) and download Hybrid
- Arts GenEdit (now Freeware) which has a D-50 Template. Unfortunately, there are
- no docs. I am trying to obtain some, or have someone write up a short Tutorial
- on it's use. However, you might be able to figure it out. I mostly use XOR
- which has a D-50 editor as well. Please Email Privately on this.
-
- There is also C-Lab Explorer (now Freeware)which is available on the
- Atari-Midi FILE SECTION link on my page as well. Even though it is
- meant for D110 and MT32, I think I remember you can configure it for
- any of these instruments including the D-50.That is an excellent editor
- with great graphics .
-
- Perhaps Gen Edit will do for the sound editor as well, as you can create your
- own templates.
-
- You can get a Cable to use a regular VGA monitor on an ST at Best
- Electronics or Mario B.'s site. Go to my LINKS on my page, and you
- will find those plus more."
-
- Jo Even Skarstein posts:
-
- "I've spent a day of my sick leave soldering in 4Mb in one of my Stacys, but
- I need to know if it really works... Can anybody recommend a simple, but
- reliable memory tester?"
-
- Jorgen Nyberg tells Jo Even:
-
- "How about the HD-FREE cpx? It also shows used, available and total
- memory, maybe thats enough?"
-
- Jo Even replies:
-
- "I know that the RAM is recognized (I have 3.2Mb free with MagiC and STiNG
- loaded), but I need to check if it works properly."
-
- Jorgen replies to Jo Even's reply:
-
- "Sorry, can't help you there, but I almost suspected that it wasn't such
- a simple prob."
-
- Mark Bedingfield jumps in and tells Jo Even:
-
- "I found a program on the STE language disk that does the trick, used it for
- the same job. If you don't have it let me know."
-
- That problem having been solved, Jo Even now asks:
-
- "I bought a new mobile phone a couple of days ago (Siemens S35i), and I'm
- thinking of writing a small tool to create/convert logos for it. To do
- that I need to convert BMP to IMG and vice versa, does anybody know if
- there's a free implementation available?"
-
- Martin-Eric Racine tells Jo Even:
-
- "I was gonna say Imagecopy, but it's commercial. Gemview should
- do it and the key is apparently free for the asking, nowadays."
-
- Editor's note.... Go for ImageCopy... It's a spectacular program!
-
- Jo Even tells Martin-Eric:
-
- "I actually need the source, so none of these are an option. I have already
- written a small tool to convert BMPs to a format S25Tool
- (Palm-utility) can understand, but I'd like to make something more
- flexible and user friendly."
-
- Jorgen Nyberg pops in and interjects:
-
- "Graftool maybe?"
-
- Martin Byttebier says:
-
- "Indeed Graftool can do this (both ways)
-
- ftp://chapelie.rma.ac.be/atari/graph-tools/gt970907.lzh (222.568 bytes)
- or http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JJvB/
-
- One can also try Nview
- http://perso.wanadoo.fr/pierre.g/home.html
- or ftp://chapelie.rma.ac.be/atari/graph-tools/nview280.zip (412.641 bytes)
-
- Furthermore the excellent Looknsee (Zeigsmir) is also able to view BMP and
- convert then to another format.
- Looknsee is registerware. You need to write to the author in order to get
- a registration key.
-
- http://rosin-datentechnik.de/rosin-online/indexx.html (German version) "
-
- Jean Lusetti adds:
-
- "VISION is shareware (but full use of any feature) and can handle images
- conversions in any supported format including BMP and IMG.
- By the way, it is more efficient (for disk usage) to convert from BMP to
- TIFF with LZW compression,especially if you have a 030 based machine.
- Have a look at
- http://vision.atari.org or http://www.multimania.com/jlusetti/indexe.htm "
-
- Jared Falvo muses about Atari:
-
- "According to a gaming magazine I just read, Hasbro *ONLY* paid $5 million
- for Atari's entirety. This now means that a buy back is NOT outside the
- realm of possibility. After all, the computer division surely is only one
- small fragment of the whole, no?"
-
- Shiuming Lai tells Jared:
-
- "There's nothing left of the computer division. There may be
- knowledge, but nothing that hasn't been far surpassed by now.
- The people (and it's people that make a company) have all
- moved on to other things, without them, there will be no new
- development and innovation.
-
- What on Earth would a buy-back achieve, when there's nothing
- (of significant magnitude to make a big impact in today's
- market) to buy back?? What has Hasbro done with Atari? Re-hashed
- some old games.
-
- Atari doesn't mean squat to the millions of consumer sheep out
- there, and it's those you have to convince, not the handful of
- Atari users, many of whom don't spend a penny on their so-called
- hobby 'because on the PC it's free'."
-
- Paul Nurminen asks about using 'VFAT' partitions:
-
- "I've recently decided to start using VFAT for long file names on a couple of
- partitions of my hard drives on my Falcon. I'm running MagiC 5.11, and
- while I am able to set up any _one_ partition to support long file names, I
- can't seem to get it to do more than one.
-
- I've correctly [as far as I can tell] edited the MAGX.INF file (as shown
- below):
-
- #[vfat]
- drives=N
- #[vfat]
- drives=G
-
- I've also tried putting the two drive letters on the same line, separated by
- commas, or TABs (as shown below):
-
- #[vfat]
- drives=N,G
-
- #[vfat]
- drives=N G
-
- And I've tried switching the letters around, with "G" before "N" - which
- results in "G" showing the long file names and "N" _not_ showing them.
-
- What am I doing wrong?"
-
- James Haslam tells Paul:
-
- "This is mine:
-
- #[vfat]
- drives=bdefghijklmnop
-
- As you can see you don't need anything between the drive letters!"
-
- Peter West adds his thoughts:
-
- "Probably putting in spaces or other separators [is what you're doing wrong].
- My magx.inf reads:
-
- #[vfat]
- drives=bgh
-
- and this works fine. BTW it's worth making B: LFN-capable just in case
- you get a floppy from someone with LFNs - just stick it in the drive and
- select B:"
-
- Louis Holleman adds:
-
- "BTW, why not put in "A" as well for vfat? It doesn't hurt and you
- don't need to swap drives in case you get lfn's on a floppy.
- The only drive I don't use for vfat is C."
-
-
- Henrik Gildσ posts this about their new "winframe" for MagiC:
-
- "Today we (Nature) felt the time was right to present our latest work.
- It's a winframe replacement for Magic 6.x, and you can have a look at it
- at our homepage: nature.atari.org, and then go to Projects/Natframe."
-
- Mike Freeman tells Henrik:
-
- "That's great, and it looks cool, but I can't find where to go to
- download it. No download link on either the "Nat-Frame" or "Download"
- pages, and I don't know where I would look at the FTP sites. Please
- tell us!"
-
- Henrik tells Mike:
-
- "It's unfortunately not available for download yet, but will be soon.
- We've just sent a beta-version to one of our testers, and if that goes
- well, it'll be up on our page shortly after. There are just some small
- "cosmetical" bugs that need fixing. NatFrame works alright as it is now,
- it's just not so pretty as we would like it to be."
-
- Clayton Murray asks about CD-R disks:
-
- "It's me AGAIN - with yet another question. I did include this in
- one of the followups, but I thought it best to start a new string
- with this.
-
- Does anyone have any recommendations on brands of CD-R and CD-RW
- blank media. Any problems with any types or brands?
-
- I'm using a Yamaha 8x4x24 CDRW with all Anodyne software
- (whenever I can get one of the retailers to take my order! Is
- everyone on vacation??) on a Falcon with Nemesis, TOS 4.04, ICD
- utilities."
-
- Terry May tells Clayton:
-
- "It really depends on your player, so it's best to experiment a little
- bit and see what works for YOU. For example, Memorex has gotten a bad
- rap in some circles, but I've had excellent luck with it."
-
- Claes Holmerup adds:
-
- "I have the same burner and like it a lot :)
-
- I've used a couple of different burners during the years, but I've never
- experienced problems with other than the cheapest noname-CDR's, but even
- with them, it works most of the time. However, the cheapest disks often
- give you trouble when you want to replay audio-CD's in an audio
- CD-player - and there may be problems when trying to burn at higher
- speeds than 4X.
-
- Keep to the well-known brands - but try others every once in a while -
- you may find a noname-"brand" that works very well.
-
- For the moment, I use mostly Kodak and I haven't had any problems
- burning at 8X on my PC. The Falcon is another story since it can't
- handle the data quickly enough for 8X."
-
-
- Well folks, that's it for this time around. Tune in again next week, same
- time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when...
-
- PEOPLE ARE TALKING
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->In This Week's Gaming Section - Harry Potter Coming to Games!
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" 'Seaman'! Songbird Is Moving!
- Next Generation of Nintendo!
- And much more!
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
- """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Nintendo to Unveil New Game Players on August 24
-
-
- Leading Japanese game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday it would
- unveil long-awaited details on August 24 of two key next-generation game
- machines due for launch late this year and early next year. The Kyoto-based
- company plans to launch the 128-bit video-game machine, code-named Dolphin,
- in 2001, a delay from its original target of late this year.
-
- Investors and analysts are eager for specifics on Dolphin following the
- recent launch of rival next-generation consoles: Sony Corp.'s PlayStation2
- released on March 4 and Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s Dreamcast which hit
- Japanese stores in late 1999.
-
- Nintendo will also unveil the Gameboy Advance, a new version of the world's
- top-selling hand-held game player, which will feature a 32-bit processing
- unit and telecommunications functions.
-
- The originally scheduled summer launch of the machine was delayed until
- late this year due to tight supplies of components.
-
- Details of Mobile System GB, a device connecting Gameboys to mobile phones,
- will be also disclosed at the news conference, scheduled ahead of the
- Nintendo Spaceworld 2000 exhibition for fans, a Nintendo spokesman said.
-
- The new Nintendo products are expected to mark the start of a full-blown
- battle in the highly competitive game industry, with U.S. software giant
- Microsoft Corp. scheduled to join the fray later in 2001 with its X-box
- console.
-
-
-
- EA Games Gives Players the License to Drive
- Like James Bond in "007 Racing"
-
-
- Thrill seekers wishing to drive like James Bond in all those exotic,
- gadget-filled cars will get their wish with the upcoming release of ``007
- Racing". The game will be published late this fall by Electronic Arts for
- the PlayStation game console.
-
- ``007 Racing" stems from an exclusive multi-year worldwide licensing deal
- EA previously announced with MGM Interactive, Danjaq LLC and Eon
- Productions to develop, publish and distribute a series of interactive
- titles on multiple platforms based on the James Bond character. In addition
- to ``007 Racing," EA is also developing an interactive title for multiple
- gaming platforms based on blockbuster movie ``The World Is Not Enough."
-
- ``007 Racing" allows both Bond and racing aficionados to test their mettle
- behind the wheels of some of the super spy's most famous vehicles while
- executing action-filled missions inspired by memorable scenes from among
- the 19 blockbuster James Bond films.
-
- Each vehicle in the game will carry a full complement of gadgets and
- weaponry from the Bond series of movies as well as new weapons that will
- help the player overcome the specific challenges of new missions. The
- arsenal, supplied by MI6's ``Q Branch", includes machine guns,
- surface-to-air missiles, spike and mine dispensers, rocket launchers, an
- oil slick generator, tire shredders and bulletproof windows. The vehicles
- will also feature four-point physics, which accentuate 007's white-knuckled
- driving style and a progressive damage model that affects the look of the
- car and performance.
-
- Key features in ``007 Racing" will include:
-
- * Being James Bond and getting behind the wheel of some of the most
- amazing autos in the world of James Bond.
- * Famous vehicles from BMW« and more modified by MI6's Q Branch.
- * More than 15 exciting missions inspired by famous Bond films, ranging
- from evasion to elimination.
- * The ability to battle famous Bond movie villains.
- * Diverse interactive levels set in Amsterdam, South America, Monte
- Carlo and New York.
- * A full complement of Q lab weapons and gadgets.
- * Dramatic 007-style physics and car damage.
- * Hollywood-style pacing and special effects.
- * Multiplayer support for exciting peer-to-peer action
-
- Eutechnyx, an accomplished UK-based entertainment software developer,
- is developing ``007 Racing." Electronic Arts will publish and distribute
- the PlayStation title worldwide in late 2000. More information on the James
- Bond games can be found on the Electronic Arts product web site at:
- http://007.ea.com.
-
-
-
- Sega Introduces Seaman, the First Voice
- Recognition Videogame to Hit the U.S.
-
-
- The evolution of Seaman is enough to make Darwin turn in his grave! Sega of
- America, Inc. announced the release of ``Seaman" for the 128-bit,
- Internet-ready Sega Dreamcast videogame console. Debuting as the first
- console videogame to use voice recognition technology in the United States,
- Seaman challenges players to successfully care for and evolve a mysterious
- human and aquatic hybrid creature named ``Seaman" by maintaining his
- habitat and conversing with him via a revolutionary microphone peripheral.
- Developed for Sega by Yoot Saito of Vivarium and featuring narration by
- Leonard Nimoy, ``Seaman" has cultivated a fascinating new style of
- interactive gaming that reflects the innovative vision of Sega's
- developers. As testament, Seaman is the No. 1 selling Dreamcast title of
- all time in Japan.
-
- With more than 12,000 lines of dialogue, the ability to recall past
- conversations, and the player's objective to uncover the mystery of
- Seaman's origins through real-time conversations, Seaman is paving the way
- for artificial intelligence in electronic entertainment. Depending on
- variables such as the age, gender, relationship status and occupation of
- the user, Seaman will have different comments and responses. Since he has
- an extensive memory, users might find themselves revisiting topics and
- events. Only by interacting with Seaman to help him evolve, will gamers
- ultimately discover the mystery behind his existence.
-
- Given his dependency on interaction, users must approach Seaman with the
- intent of cultivating a relationship with him. This requires at least 10
- minutes of interaction a day for almost a month.
-
- ``With 'Seaman's' voice recognition technology and unusual premise, Sega is
- continuing to break new ground with its content," said Stacey Kerr,
- product manager, Sega of America. ``The engaging and offbeat Seaman is
- uncontestable proof that Sega continues to be the home of the most
- entertaining and ground-breaking games."
-
- Leonard Nimoy, the game's narrator, serves as a guide for the user
- providing daily tips regarding Seaman's evolution and clues to solving his
- mystery. Each day, gamers will prepare a tank by adjusting the oxygen, heat
- and light settings for Seaman, who is dependant on the gamer for its
- life-blood.
-
- A close eye on the food supply and a regular feeding schedule are also very
- important to the foster care of Seaman. Throughout the course of the game,
- players will discover that his occasionally insolent disposition and
- irreverent responses to questions are a true reflection of his feelings and
- how he's been treated. A dirty habitat, low temperature and poor lighting
- are sure to make for a grumpy Seaman.
-
- Habitat conditions and proper nutrients aren't the only things the offbeat
- Seaman needs in order to survive and prosper. Interaction with Seaman is
- required daily since it is crucial to his growth and well-being. If Seaman
- is neglected or held out of water for too long, he may take on a crude
- demeanor and refuse to respond to the user's disembodied hand tapping on
- the monitor or voice commands. Interesting conversation, good interaction,
- occasional tickling and proper care will result in a harmonious
- relationship with the shameless Seaman.
-
- Players depend on the Visual Memory Unit (VMU) to store game data and for
- information on Seaman's status. The VMU can act as a player's insight into
- Seaman's mood, as well. An exclamation point displayed on the VMU means
- that Seaman is attentive, while a question mark indicates that he is ready
- to receive questions.
-
- ``Seaman," which includes the microphone peripheral, is available for
- $49.95 at retailers nationwide and at www.sega.com.
-
-
-
- Electronic Arts Plans Potter Games
-
-
- The Harry Potter craze is soon to go interactive.
-
- Electronic Arts Inc. said Thursday it has received exclusive worldwide
- rights to develop, publish and distribute computer and video games based on
- J.K. Rowling's hugely successful Harry Potter books.
-
- Financial terms of the deal with Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Brothers unit
- were not disclosed.
-
- California-based Electronic Arts said it plans to publish games based on
- all four Harry Potter books, an upcoming feature film, and any subsequent
- films
-
- ``EA has accepted the challenge to create a series of interactive games
- that reflect the incredible imagination of J.K. Rowling's books," said Don
- Mattrick, president of EA worldwide studios.
-
- ``We are extremely excited to become part of the Harry Potter phenomenon by
- bringing our own brand of interactive magic to this fantastic series."
-
- The company said it will work closely with Rowling so that the games remain
- true to the books' characters and environments.
-
- The license grants EA the right to develop and publish products for all
- current and next generation video game consoles and handheld platforms. It
- can also publish and distribute games designed to be played online over the
- Internet.
-
- The Harry Potter book series has been published in 115 countries and in 28
- languages.
-
- The latest book, ``Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," is the fourth in
- the series by 34-year-old British author.
-
-
-
- Acclaim's ECW Anarchy Rulz for PlayStation Body
- Slams On to Store Shelves Tuesday, August 15
-
-
- Acclaim Entertainment announced that ECW Anarchy Rulz for the PlayStation
- game console will be in retail outlets nationwide on Tuesday, August 15.
- The game is named after Extreme Championship Wrestling's (ECW) annual
- pay-per-view spectacular, Anarchy Rulz, and follows ECW's first-ever video
- game title, ECW Hardcore Revolution.
-
- ECW Anarchy Rulz features all-new control mechanics for easy
- pick-up-and-play action. The game has over 60 of the most hardcore
- wrestlers, including the ECW debut of ``The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes,
- The Sandman, and the Executive Producer of ECW Paul Heyman, joining the
- rest of ECW's outrageous stars. New match modes include Street Fight, Table
- Match and the explosive Brimstone Match. And for the first time, ECW
- Anarchy Rulz' Stable Mode allows players to handpick their own allies and
- adversaries to battle through career mode.
-
- The audio in ECW Anarchy Rulz leads the wrestling genre. Licensed music
- cuts include ``Debonaire" by Dope and ``Holy Man" by One Minute Silence.
- All wrestlers feature their own recorded voice packages for extreme
- realism. Plus, there is double trouble in the broadcast booth featuring the
- ``voice of ECW" Joey Styles and the ``Quintessential Stud Muffin" Joel
- Gertner.
-
- Acclaim's ground breaking Create-a-Pay-Per-View, Create-A-Wrestler and
- Career Modes have been greatly enhanced for even greater customization
- including belt defenses, where players can lock up head-to-head in
- Championship Title matches.
-
- ``We are pleased to bring hardcore wrestling fans the next installment of
- Extreme Championship Wrestling video games," commented Kevin Brannan,
- brand manager at Acclaim. ``ECW Anarchy Rulz' all-new control system, new
- wrestlers, matches and game modes are sure to appeal to wrestling fans
- everywhere."
-
- ECW Anarchy Rulz is developed by the video game industry's most experienced
- wrestling design team, Acclaim Studios-Salt Lake City. ECW Anarchy Rulz is
- rated Teen by the ESRB.
-
-
-
- Gigex.com and Gathering of Developers Announce
- Immediate Availability of the 'KISS: Psycho Circus'
- Demo and the KISS 'Final Farewell Sweepstakes'
-
-
- Gigex.com and Gathering of Developers today announced the immediate
- availability of the ``KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child" demo for
- the recently released PC title and the upcoming SEGA Dreamcast version due
- in late September. Everyone who downloads the demo can register for the
- ``Final Farewell Sweepstakes" and a chance to win tickets, backstage
- passes and lodging to the final KISS show in the lower 48 states ever! The
- demo is available for download at
-
- http://www.gigex1.com/F0070000003/pr/kiss_demo.htm and
- http://www.gigex.com/top50.htm
-
- ``KISS: Psycho Circus The Nightmare Child" straps 3D gamers into a
- high-paced trip through a twisted world of horror inspired by the KISS
- legacy, conceived by the imagination of Todd McFarlane and brought to
- digital life by Third Law Interactive. Powered by a highly modified
- Lithtech 1.5, the Psycho Circus holds some 25 twisted freaks, 12
- bone-smashing weapons, 16 ancient artifacts, scripted in-game cinematics, a
- slew of boss and mini-boss encounters, high voltage deathmatch and four
- playable characters. To go from stranded mortal to all powerful Elder you
- must attain six progressive levels of power and master each character's
- unique set of challenges and abilities. But beware, the path to the
- Nightmare Child's lair is lined with more monsters on-screen than any
- previous first-person shooter.
-
- ``We hope KISS fans and gamers alike are excited about the demo and the
- chance to meet some of Rock & Roll's greatest living legends" said
- Gathering of Developers CEO Mike Wilson. ``The demo is great and Gathering
- has a real winner on their hands. We're happy to be a part of this great
- game," said Gigex CEO Mark Friedler.
-
-
-
- Sega.com Announces Beta Test Program
-
-
- Sega.com, Inc. (www.sega.com), a leading online interactive entertainment
- company for gamers, today announced that the company is looking for more
- than 100 hardcore Sega Dreamcast gamers to beta test its new high-speed
- online gaming service, SegaNet, which is scheduled for launch in September.
-
- The chosen few will have the coolest jobs in town. Between August 21 and
- 29, they will be asked to play Dreamcast games across SegaNet against
- fellow gamers nationwide. In addition to test-driving the first
- console-based Internet multiplayer gaming service and reporting their
- findings back to Sega.com, beta testers will be eligible to win numerous
- prizes to be awarded throughout the test period.
-
- ``We are looking hardcore gamers, people who can put SegaNet through its
- paces and tell us how we can make the experience even better," said Lynn
- MacConnell, chief technology officer of Sega.com. ``Our beta testers will
- help us revolutionize the gaming industry and will play an essential part
- in SegaNet's mission to take gaming into the 21st century, which is
- fully-immersive online console gameplay."
-
- Dreamcast gamers are invited to sign up for the beta test program on
- Wednesday, August 9, 2000. Applications will be available online at
- www.sega.com. To qualify, applicants must be at least 18 years old and
- willing to sign (and abide by) a nondisclosure agreement. The 100 lucky
- beta testers will be selected at random and asked to play various titles
- for several hours between August 21 and 29. The beta program is not
- available to members of the media or professionals in the gaming industry.
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- ->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
- """""""""""""""""""
-
-
-
- Songbird Is Moving!
-
-
- Songbird Productions is moving to a new location effective immediately.
- The new address is:
-
- Songbird Productions
- 1736 Chippewa Drive NW
- Rochester, MN 55901
-
- Please update your records appropriately. Any orders already in transit to
- the old address should be forwarded correctly by the US Post Office, but as
- always feel free to inquire via email with any questions on a current
- order.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- Carl Forhan
- Songbird Productions
- http://songbird.atari.net
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
-
- A-ONE's Headline News
- The Latest in Computer Technology News
- Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
-
-
-
- Netscape Bug Affects Almost 1,000
-
-
- Security experts were warning Internet users Monday about a security hole
- in Netscape's Web browser that has already infected almost 1,000 computers.
-
- Once a computer is infected, a hacker can click through the victim's
- computer and see, run and delete files on the target computer. The method,
- dubbed ``Brown Orifice" in a reference to the popular hacker tool
- BackOrifice, has been making the rounds of computer security mailing lists
- and bulletin boards over the weekend.
-
- Netscape has not yet made a remedy available, but are working on the
- problem.
-
- ``Netscape takes all security issues very seriously," said Netscape
- spokesman Andrew Weinstein, ``We're working to quickly evaluate and address
- this concern."
-
- The person who posted the code, who identified himself as Dan Brumleve,
- also posted a sample bit of computer code on his Web site that can be
- modified for more malicious purposes and a list of some of the users who
- have been infected.
-
- This list is being used by other hackers, said computer security expert
- Chris Rouland of Internet Security Systems, making those infected computers
- open to anyone who wants to click through their wide-open hard drives.
-
- ``As of (Monday) morning," Rouland said,"965 people have it loaded."
-
- It's common practice to make dangerous code public, so that security
- professionals can better prepare themselves to defend against the code. ISS
- said that information about the security hole had also appeared on several
- popular Web sites such as Slashdot, an online community of users of the
- Linux operating system.
-
- ``It can be assumed that knowledge of the exploit, its source code, and
- variations are widespread," ISS said in a press release.
-
- However, there is still no remedy available from Netscape. Atlanta-based
- ISS, which analyzed the security hole, advises Netscape users to disable
- the Java programming language in their browser. Netscape, owned by America
- Online, suggested the same temporary workaround.
-
- Both ISS and Netscape officials noted that business users, because they're
- protected by the company's network firewall, are not vulnerable.
-
- Rouland said Brown Orifice is especially dangerous because it's easy to
- modify, and can be changed into a self-copying virus form - as opposed to
- the current infection method, where a victim visits a Web site that
- includes the malicious code.
-
- ``The bar's been lowered for any script-kiddie to modify this code and make
- it even more malicious," Rouland said.
-
- Netscape Communicator versions 4.74 and earlier are affected, Rouland said.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer users and users of the Mozilla pre-release
- version of the new Netscape browser 6.0 are not vulnerable to this problem.
-
- Rouland noted that Microsoft users who have switched to Netscape - a
- company whose history includes the earliest Web browsers - after the recent
- stream of Microsoft-related security holes in Internet Explorer and the
- Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail programs are finding that no computer
- programs are without problems.
-
- Also on Monday, another security expert pointed out a security hole in
- Microsoft's Word and Excel products that can let a hacker take over the
- victim's computer. Microsoft officials said they are working on the issue.
-
- ``The vendor-changing strategy obviously doesn't work," he said.
- ``Security coding practices are being ignored by even one of the Internet's
- oldest companies."
-
-
-
- Juno Battling For No. 2 ISP Position
-
-
- The next big fight in the Internet service provider space is over the 100
- million Internet users that are expected to come online in the next five
- years. And while any large consumer ISP would tell you its real competitor
- is America Online, the true showdown in the exploding Internet access
- space will likely take place between Juno Online Services and EarthLink.
-
- Juno, the first service provider to give consumers free e-mail, has
- changed a great deal since its launch in April 1996. Today, the company
- commands a universe of 10 million users, only 3.38 million of which are
- active. Juno offers Internet access for free with ads - and for a fee
- without them - and has lined up an array of broadband services expected to
- be heavily marketed this year.
-
- On top of selling broadband access through satellite, Digital Subscriber
- Line and wireless partnerships, Juno captured headlines last week by
- becoming the first ISP to be picked by Time Warner for distribution over
- its cable network.
-
- Organic growth is not the only strategy that Juno plans to execute,
- however.
-
- "One of the things we are looking at very seriously is consolidation,"
- said Charles Ardai, Juno's president and chief executive. "There's
- something like 5,000 Internet access providers in the country right now,
- and we don't think that is going to last.
-
- At this point in the game, EarthLink has 3.7 million customers, a base
- that generates $230.9 million per quarter. From EarthLink's perspective,
- however, Juno is not exactly a worthwhile competitor.
-
- "How many paid users do they have?" asked Kirsten Hamlin, vice president
- of investor relations at EarthLink. "With 730,000 dial-up subscribers, I
- don't know where to place them - Prodigy [Communications] is 2.7 million.
- We base it on paying subscribers, but if you want to base it on [number
- of] eyeballs, then you would put it on par with NetZero - and,
- incidentally, why would you name your company after where your stock is
- going?"
-
- In terms of numbers of eyeballs, Juno does have a lead over EarthLink,
- being 22nd in Media Metrix's top 50, with EarthLink trailing at No. 25.
-
- Could Juno become the next big thing in the ISP space? Industry analysts
- believe Juno has a shot at the big time. The key to its success is in
- understanding how free Internet access works, and harnessing its power to
- appeal to the next generation of Internet users, industry analysts said.
-
- "Free is the only way we are adding real growth in the U.S., a mature IP
- [Internet Protocol] services market," said Hilary Mine, vice president of
- research at Probe Research. "Once we have wireless devices that are
- meaningful, that would be another way to grow that."
-
- Free access is the fastest growing segment of the online services market.
- Probe estimated that about 10 percent of consumers and small businesses in
- America dial in to the Internet via free on-ramps. About 700,000 of Juno's
- subscribers pay for their access, and there are broadband deals that could
- generate subscription fees, but the bulk of the users on Juno network dial
- in for free.
-
- Juno made $29.6 million in revenue in the second quarter, losing $42.9
- million. Its shares took a nosedive on the results and analysts
- downgrades.
-
-
-
- AOL Takes Down Music Search Engine
-
-
- America Online Inc. on Thursday pulled the plug on a search engine for
- digital music in the popular MP3 format, which the recording industry says
- has become a vehicle for piracy.
-
- ``We don't have an efficient process for distinguishing between legal and
- illegal MP3s, so we decided to take it down until we can address that,"
- said AOL spokesman Jim Whitney.
-
- The search engine was located on a site belonging to Nullsoft, an AOL
- subsidiary that created and distributes Winamp, a popular MP3 player
- program for Windows.
-
- Dulles, Va.-based AOL has agreed to acquire Time Warner Inc. which has an
- array of record labels.
-
- The site did not store the MP3 files, but the search engine could point to
- other Web sites containing music files.
-
- On Thursday morning, the Search button was still active on Nullsoft's site,
- but only returned this message when clicked: ``Sorry. Search unavailable at
- this time. Sad, sad Nullsoft."
-
- It's not the first time Nullsoft has sent its parent company scrambling.
- Nullsoft programmers also created Gnutella, a file-sharing program similar
- to Napster, which lets users easily exchange files including digital music.
- The program was briefly posted on Nullsoft's Web site in March and has
- subsequently spread on the Internet.
-
- Nullsoft's Web site proclaims that they are ``legitimate nihilistic media
- terrorists as history will no doubt canonize us."
-
- Other Web search engines, such as AltaVista and Lycos' Hotbot, still allow
- searches for MP3 files.
-
-
-
- Women Surpass Men Online
-
-
- Women are now in the majority online.
-
- In May, 50.4 percent of U.S. Internet users were women, Media Metrix said
- Wednesday. That's still below the percentage of women in the overall U.S.
- population, which according to Census figures is 51.1 percent.
-
- The study was based on Media Metrix measurements of more than 55,000 home
- and business users.
-
- Among other findings:
-
- -Teen-age girls represent the fastest-growing age group. There were more
- than 4.4 million girls ages 12-17 online in May, a 126 percent increase
- from about 2 million a year earlier.
-
- -The number of women ages 18-24 online decreased 4.5 percent, possibly
- indicating more interest in college and early career development,
- researchers said.
-
- -The number of female Internet users ages 55 and over grew by 110 percent,
- though they represent only 4.4 percent of the overall online population.
-
- -Across all age groups, America Online, Microsoft and Yahoo! sites were
- most popular among women. Those were also the sites most frequented by men.
-
-
-
- Microsoft Launches E-Book Software; Big Shift Seen
-
-
- Microsoft launched free software for electronic books on Tuesday in a move
- publishers called a turning point for the book industry.
-
- The new Reader software and Microsoft's marketing muscle were linked to the
- launch by Barnesandnoble.com Inc. of electronic book sales, a first for a
- major online bookseller.
-
- Dick Brass, vice president for technology development at Microsoft, said
- the Reader software marked the inevitable decline of traditional printed
- books.
-
- Likening the software to the revolutionary start of mass-produced
- automobiles a century ago, Brass told a news conference, ``This is 1908 in
- the automobile industry.
-
- ``We think we've got a working vehicle and the journey has begun."
-
- The Reader software allows books to be read on personal computers and
- laptops. It can be downloaded for free.
-
- The Barnesandnoble.com store features Reader technology. Its books will be
- available for downloading and reading on a screen or in single paperback
- copies printed on demand.
-
- The Microsoft and Barnesandnoble.com move comes as publishers, booksellers
- and readers try to map out the unknown territory of digital books.
-
- Horror story writer Stephen King has marked a electronic path in recent
- months by offering a novella online through his publisher, Simon &
- Schuster, a Viacom Inc.
-
- Last month he bypassed publishers altogether by peddling a novel, ``The
- Plant," in installments at his Web site.
-
- Top publishing executives at the news conference said the Reader product
- from Microsoft, the world's biggest personal computer software maker,
- heralded a new era for readers as well as a potential new avenue of
- profits.
-
- ``This is probably the biggest opening we've gotten in my lifetime because
- of all the content waiting to get into the pipeline," said Steve Riggio,
- vice chairman of Barnesandnoble.com.
-
- Laurence Kirshbaum, chairman and chief executive of Time Warner Inc.'s
- Trade Publishing unit, said the new medium could boost book industry growth
- from its current level of 5 to 6 percent a year into double digits.
-
- Microsoft is backing the online bookstore in part through an advertising
- campaign and will pay authors and publishers for the right to advertise
- their books with its software.
-
- Microsoft will get ``a very small, single-digit royalty" from the sale of
- electronic books, Brass said.
-
- Microsoft and the Association of American Publishers also said they planned
- to work together closely to fight electronic book piracy.
-
- Microsoft, which is a member of the association, said in a statement it
- would provide technology to identify illegal content on the Internet and
- back the effort financially.
-
-
-
- Internet Porn Law Barred in Virginia
-
-
- A federal judge has barred Virginia from enforcing a law intended to
- protect children from ``harmful" Internet material.
-
- The law makes it a crime to use the Internet to sell or otherwise provide
- sexually explicit pictures or written material to juveniles that could harm
- them.
-
- U.S. District Judge J. Harry Michael Jr. ruled Tuesday that the law
- violates the First Amendment.
-
- The nonprofit group People for the American Way and 16 Internet businesses
- had challenged the law, arguing that the companies had no practical way to
- prevent juveniles from seeing such material except to eliminate it
- altogether.
-
- Elliot Mincberg, legal director of People for the American Way, said
- material including art and sex education information that would be proper
- for adults could fall victim to the law.
-
- Attorney general's spokesman David Botkins said Wednesday that Michael's
- ruling was under review and no decision had been made on whether to appeal.
-
- Aides to Gov. Jim Gilmore said they hadn't seen the ruling and declined
- comment.
-
- The law was passed in 1999 over Gilmore's objection. No one has been
- charged under the law, which carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail
- and a $2,500 fine.
-
-
-
-
- =~=~=~=
-
-
- Atari Online News, Etc.is a weekly publication covering the entire
- Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted
- at the beginning of any article, to Atari user groups and not for
- profit publications only under the following terms: articles must
- remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of
- each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of
- request. Send requests to: dpj@delphi.com
-
- No issue of Atari Online News, Etc. may be included on any commercial
- media, nor uploaded or transmitted to any commercial online service or
- internet site, in whole or in part, by any agent or means, without
- the expressed consent or permission from the Publisher or Editor of
- Atari Online News, Etc.
-
- Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do
- not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All
- material herein is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing.
-